London outfit Y release their EP ENTER on 8 May via SO Recordings (Enter Shikari, Deadletter, Big Special) & Hideous Mink Records (Alien Chicks, Opus Kink). Formed by Adam Brennan and Sophie Coppin during a period of isolation, a way of making sense of boredom, frustration and noise, the group have quickly grown into something louder, sharper and harder to ignore. Discussing the EP, Y shared:
“Recorded at Farm Road Studios in Brighton with Jake Smallwood, ‘ENTER’ is our second EP and a darker, more ambitious step forward. Across five tracks,each song explores its own distinct style while coming together as a more cohesive whole than our debut. After road-testing the material live for so long, we entered the studio knowing exactly how we wanted each part to hit, building every track up from strong live performances between drums, bass and guitar as a solid foundation to capture our live energy before expanding the tracks with any sax, synths or vocals.”
The beginning of opener ‘Duplicate’ is unexpected – its genteel cinematic start a little out of sync with this band’s vibe. However the teasing is short lived as the saxophone and bassline kick in. The pulsating beats take over and along with the blend of twangy guitars and Adam’s vocals, which fluctuate between an effortless breathiness and one bursting with energy, the party has started. ‘Duplicate’ epitomises Y, polished as well as gloriously chaotic all in one track. Their unpredictability is thrilling.
‘May’ follows, its breathtaking start further enhanced by Sophie’s lead vocal. There is an exotic vein to ‘May’, the eastern ambience in the instrumentation matching the vocal delivery. As it heads to its outro ‘May’ becomes a stomping whole which you suspect was heading for a completely chaotic collapse if it hadn’t ended when it did.
And on to ‘Generate The Oh No’ which is guaranteed to get under the skin with its swagger. “Trouble from the get go” is an earworm which just won’t shift. The track gleefully bounces along gathering us all up in its wake. Y have such versatility not just in their soundscapes but in the vocals, having both male and female voices available in Adam and Sophie. Here Adam leads with Sophie as backing but it’s the saxophone part, weaving its way throughout, which stands out, even replacing the vocal at the end.
As ‘Skipper’ begins there is one word that comes to mind when describing Y, eclectic. This is something completely different from everything gone before. ‘Skipper’ starts with crisp pulsating synth beats, before the guitars, drums and saxophone jump in. The edgy electronica is a delight, full of passion and vitality, Sophie’s vocal articulating the “skipp – hah” adding such an forceful delivery but all within a dance beat which grabs hold and does not let go until the final note.
ENTER’s final track ‘Waiting Winning’ comes around too soon – but what a finish. Wild guitars, demanding saxophone and marching drums sprawl across this track. The percussion takes centre stage, at one point, crisp and metronomic. “Show me why you love winning?” demands Sophie, over and over with increasing fervour. Y is completed by Dan GB (bass), Fells (drums) and Harry Mchale (saxophone), and ENTER provides ample evidence of their reputation built on live performances. This is a band full of the confidence and skill to create music which is truly genre-busting.
For more information on Y please check their facebook and instagram.
Review: 9 out of 10